The present invention relates to ball retrieval, in particular golf balls. Golfers frequently hit their golf balls in unintended directions, resulting in their landing in lakes, in deep brush or briars, mud or sand. The golfer may only be able to access the ball from a relatively long distance, for example eight to ten feet, and then his angle of access may be rather oblique with respect to the surface on which the ball rests. On occasion a golfer may run over a ball with his golf cart, or step on it, and nearly bury it in the turf. A variety of devices have been invented to retrieve golf balls. However, none are capable of retrieving a ball under all of the conditions described above. What is needed, therefore, is a ball retrieval device that will retrieve a ball lying in water, mud, sand, partially buried in dirt, brush or briars, and from a relatively long distance, and from variety of angles of access.
A device for retrieving balls, such as golf balls, is disclosed. The device comprises an elongate shaft attached to a hollow cylindrical head of a resilient material, such as PVC. The head has an open end, the diameter of which allows it to accept the ball and hold it. The head has at least one notch in the cylindrical wall extending from the edge of the forward end towards the rear of the head, and a pin affixed diametrically through walls of the head forward of the terminus of the notch. In a preferred embodiment, there are two notches in the forward end of the head diametrically opposed from one another and the pin is offset uniformly from each of the notches. With this device, a golfball lying on the ground, partially buried in the ground, underwater, obscured in brush, leaves, or tall grass, can be retrieved from nearly any angle.